United States v. Joyce

693 F.2d 838 (1982)

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United States v. Joyce

United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
693 F.2d 838 (1982)

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Facts

An undercover agent working for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offered to sell cocaine to Michael Dennis Joyce (defendant), a suspected drug distributor. Joyce took the specified purchase money to a meeting with the agent in the agent's hotel room. The agent asked Joyce if he wanted to buy the cocaine. When Joyce expressed interest, the agent gave Joyce a duct-taped package that he said contained the cocaine. Joyce said he could not see the cocaine and immediately handed the package back. In accordance with DEA guidelines, the agent demanded that Joyce show him the purchase money before inspecting the package. Joyce refused and demanded to inspect the package first, which the agent refused to allow. The agent and Joyce repeated this set of demands and refusals several times. Finally, Joyce said he would no longer deal with the agent no matter how good the cocaine was. The agent told Joyce to leave the room. Joyce left and was arrested by other DEA agents. The United States government (plaintiff) prosecuted Joyce for attempting to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. The jury convicted Joyce and he appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Gibson, J.)

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